On The Fly: This Time Andy Pettitte Means It

And In Phoenix, Some Rattled Snakes

September 20, 2013

Once again we say goodbye to Andy Pettitte, who won't be back this time, only for Old Timer's Day. The 41-year-old lefty — not a Hall of Famer but certainly a Yankee great — announced Friday that this season will be his last. Pettitte, whose career record is 255-152, retired after the 2010 season but returned in 2012, an attempt cut short by injury. He's been strong down the stretch this season, which won't end in a playoff berth but might always be remembered for the last go-round for the heart of that late 1990s core that was so dominant. Jorge Posada left after 2011, Mariano Rivera is retiring with Pettitte, and who knows what Derek Jeter has left? ... After clinching the N.L. West title Thursday with a victory over the Diamondacks, members of the Dodgers climbed the wall at Chase Field and hopped into the pool. A pool party. Cool. The host team didn't think so. Willie Bloomquist of the Diamondbacks said, "Classless. I doubt the New York Yankees would do something like that."

•The NFL made some money off a fight last week. No, Roger Goodell didn't lay heavy money on Floyd Mayweather — not that we know of, anyway. The league fined three Patriots and two Jets a total of $72,000 for their roles in a sideline fight toward the end of their Sept. 12 game. ... Houston running back Arian Foster made money, too, apparently while playing college ball at Tennessee. In a documentary entitled "Schooled: The Price of College Sports," according to , SI.com, Foster said he was "getting money on the side. I had to either pay the rent or buy some food." Foster, apparently, is an outspoken critic of the NCAA in the film, saying, "There's nothing wrong with [getting paid] and you're not going to convince me there's something wrong with it. I feel like I shouldn't have to run from the NCAA anymore. They're like these big bullies." ... While we're on the topic, Mike Tyson made some money, too — about $400 million. He lost it all, too, according to Bleacher Report. We don't buy it. Forgive the pun. Pigeon racing doesn't pay like heavyweight world title fights but the thought here is that Tyson is still living comfortably.

•Fifteenth-ranked Michigan, tenant of The Big House, comes to the little — and can we now say old? — cabin in East Hartford on Saturday. OK, there. We had our fun. At least UConn had extra seats put in and, really, it all should make for an electric atmosphere. This is arguably the most exciting day in Rentschler Field history. If you have a ticket, get in your seat before kickoff. Who knows? It could become one of the more memorable games in UConn's young FBS football history.